His resurrection was God's Amen of approval to all that the Lord claimed to be, of every word He spoke, of every step He took, of every action He performed. Above all it was God's manifest approval and acceptance of the glorious work of atonement on the cross of Calvary as satisfying Him concerning the whole question of sin. "GOD raised Him from the dead" (Acts 13:3030But God raised him from the dead: (Acts 13:30)). " Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father " (Rom. 6:44Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)).
We read that the truth of the resurrection of Christ was a central and convincing theme in the preaching of the early apostles. " With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus " (Acts 4:3333And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)). It carries on the one hand the assurance of salvation to all who receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior; and on the other hand the assurance of judgment to all those who refuse the testimony of God. We read that God " hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man [the Lord Jesus Christ] whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)).
There is an interesting story told of Lord Lyttleton (1709-1773) and his friend Gilbert West. Both were trained lawyers, well able to sift evidence. The early part of eighteenth century was the darkest period religiously in the history of Britain since the time of the glorious Reformation. It was the age of the great deists, agnostics, and rationalists, when it was the fashion to be an infidel.
Both Lyttleton and West were infidels. They consulted together, and conceived the idea that if they could disprove the resurrection of Christ and the conversion of St. Paul they would strike a mortal and much desired blow at Christianity. Lyttleton chose to write on the conversion of St. Paul; Gilbert West on the resurrection of Christ. Little did they foresee to themselves the result of their inquiry. Of course they had to read diligently the Bible accounts of these two great events. They were obliged to weigh the evidences.
They were convinced against their will. The Rev. J. L. Campbell, D.D., of Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., wrote: -
"Both sat down to their tasks full of prejudice; but the result of their separate attempts was, that they were both converted by their efforts to overthrow the truth of Christianity. They came together, not as they expected, to exult over an imposture exposed to ridicule, but to lament over their own folly, and to felicitate each other on their joint conviction that the Bible was the Word of God."
Their books can be seen in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, at this present time.
Dr. Johnson of Dictionary fame said of Lyttleton's treatise that is was one "to which infidelity had never been able to fabricate a specious answer." Thank God, the Christian has an unshakable, immovable, enduring foundation to rest upon. It is computed that there are over three hundred prophecies in the Bible, covering " the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow" (1 Peter 1:1111Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Peter 1:11)). Those concerning His birth, life in this world, and His sufferings on the cross, have all been gloriously fulfilled to the very letter. Those referring to His coming glory will be fulfilled as surely as those referring to His sufferings have been.
Quite a large number of these prophecies concerning His sufferings were fulfilled in the last twenty-four hours of our Lord's life upon the earth. Judas, the traitor; the Apostles; Roman soldiers; the High Priests, Rulers, and Jewish people; Joseph of Arimathea, who begged our Lord's body and interred it in his own sepulcher; God Himself, who forsook His Son when He was made sin on the cross that He might make redemption for sinful man; our Lord Himself-all these were involved in the fulfillment of prophecies made long centuries before. These could not have come about by pure accident. It had been computed that by the law of compound probabilities the chance that they all happened by accident is one against thirty-three millions.
No book in the world could stand the test the Word of God does. It is the only Book in the world which has prophesied numerous events which have been fulfilled to the letter; prophecy marks the Scriptures as inspired of God and inerrant. For prophecy as a young believer I was profoundly thankful, and found it confirmatory of my faith. Now as life speeds on to its close the testimony becomes more and more convincing and precious.